Queen City Art Experience

Come on out and support the youth of Poughkeepsie to experience a night of art, food and young enterpreneurship. This event gives youth an opportunity to immerse themselves into a business setting, including fine arts, culinary and connection with their own community. The evening will consist of a live jazz group provided by the students of Poughkeepsie High School, live interactive educational performances by local activists, specialty handcrafted cocktails brought to you by local business; Reason & Ruckus, using spirits from local distilleries, vineyards and breweries in the Hudson Valley, served by Guest Cocktail Specialist, Shonn Hatchett (Instagram:@TheThreatExpert)of {Pretty to Think So} Restaurant & Bar, located in the fabulous Village of Rhinebeck. The evening will conclude with a silent auction for each artists' submission, as well as, congratulating the youth for their hard work and dedication. Included with your ticket price is an amazing grazing table, which will include fresh, seasonal, locally-sourced fruits, vegetables and charcuterie as well as assorted pastries and desserts crafted by Dulce Cakes & Confections and Reconnect Foods. The ticket option for Private Dining Experience will include 4 courses, which will be lead by Chef, David Cruz, Pastry Chef, Jenay Scarchilli-Parson, and prepared by our culinary youth participants. The dinner will highlight local ingredients and will be a beautiful way to end the night, having taught students the ins and outs of running your own restaurant, designing a menu and sourcing the freshest ingredients, all while supporting local businesses. Many local organizations have joined forces to help enrich and guide the youth in this amazing, one of a kind, experience. We'd like to thank Heritage Federal Credit Union for their addition to our event, in providing financial literacy to the youth and opening their first bank accounts, which will be utilized for the first time with the funds earned through our silent auction for their submitted artwork. Poughkeepsie Farm Project will be assisting our culinary Youth in showing them how to source the freshest and most environmentally friendly produce grown right here in The Queen City. Special thanks also goes out to, The Culinary Institute of America for providing workshops and education on kitchen safety and the "ins" and "outs" of the culinary industry as an entreprenuer.